Category: Category 2

God creates something out of nothing. Therefore, until a man is nothing, God can make nothing out of him. – Martin Luther

Has your Brook Dried Up?

Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land, Then the word of the Lord came to him: “Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.”

1 Kings 17:7-8

All of us have little brooks that we draw from on a daily basis. The Lord sometimes dries up the brook to take us to fulfil our needs and the needs of others. We will be able to understand His will and move on if we are in tune to hear His voice.

When the Lord told Elijah to go to a widow’s house and that she will provide, he obeyed and knew that the provider was the Lord. The Lord will always use that which is insignificant in our eyes to bring glory to Himself.

The Lord not only met the need of Elijah but the need of the poor widow. The Lord is all knowing and He will direct you to the right person.

Is your brook dry this morning? Have you come to a crossroads? Listen to His voice and depend on Him. He will direct your path. He will use you to be a blessing to others and He will in return bless you. Elijah walked out in faith. Are you willing to take the same step of faith?

When a brook dries up, it is a sign that God has a bigger plan for you; are you ready to face the rushing river? Would you give heed to His voice?

Dear Lord,

I look to You my God, from where cometh my help. My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth. Please direct my path today. Amen.

God bless you,
Theo & Manju

The greatest of Earth’s living forms,
Tall conquerors that laugh at storms;
Their challenge still unanswered rings,
Through fifty centuries of kings.

– Joseph Strauss
Living like a Redwood tree

For I, the Lord your God, have taken your right hand in mine, saying to you, Have no fear; I will be your helper.

Isaiah 41:13

Often we miss out on the plans that God has for our lives due to fear and intimidations. Last week we read about the tares that the devil sow into our lives that prevents the plans that God has for us. Once we understand that the devil is the cause of our fears and lack of confidence, we can take authority over him and break loose from the bondages that he has woven around our lives.

Paul says that Jesus has the power to set us free from every bondage brought into our life by the devil. As such In Hebrews 2:14-15,  he writes, “By His death, he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.”

The strongholds of the devil are the lies that have the power to attack our minds, robbing us of our confidence and replacing it with fear.

Today God wants us to know that He is with us in everything that we do. He created us to have a life that is as large as a Redwood tree. We can live that life if we stop fearing, and rise up with courage knowing that the Lord our God is always by our side. He has taken our feeble hands in His able hands and He is assuring us not to fear, as He will be our helper.

Lord God, I come to You in Jesus’ name. I am so blessed to have You, my good Shepherd, by my side in every moment of my life. Even though my heart has given into fear, today I choose to hold on to Your righteous right hand and walk beside You, knowing You will never leave me nor forsake me. Amen.

God bless you,

Theo & Manju

Within every seed, there is life and a program that determines its growth. The other day we were talking about the redwood tree in Northern California which is so large that roads are made through their trunks so that cars can pass through them. Redwood trees grow to an incredible height and live for centuries. This giant tree grows from a small seed.

God’s Seed

Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.

Mark 4:7-8

If the seed falls on good ground, the tree will grow to be mature and strong; otherwise its growth will be stunted.
Therefore, it is important for the farmer to prepare the soil well, so that the seed can take deep root. The seed that the farmer sows is a natural seed and will some day perish but the seed of God planted in our hearts is permanent.

In the above text we see that some of the seed fell among thorns. This means that the thorns prevented the seed from bearing fruit. Similarly, our heart is like the soil, so if our heart has divided interests, then the permanent seed of God’s word will not take root and grow, but will perish.

While the farmer sows good seed, the evil one tries to destroy the crop by sowing bad seed which produces thistles and thorns that prevent the good seed from growing.

In Matthew 13:26, Jesus talks about this subtle and devious act of the devil. He says “But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away.”

Let us not be asleep and allow the devil to bring in the evil tares but let us be spiritually awake. When we fall asleep, we will become unconcerned about sin and slip into a state of luke-warmness which will hinder us from growing to be the ‘giant redwood trees’ that God desires us to become in Him.

The word says that heaven and earth will pass away but His word will not pass away. Therefore, let us beware and protect the seed of God’s word and ask the Holy Spirit to settle it in our hearts to bear much fruit for His glory.

Dear Lord,
I want to be a like a tree planted by the waters so that I may draw from Your river and bear much fruit. Amen.

God bless you,
Theo and Manju

Yesterday, we looked at the younger prodigal son; today we will look at the older son who remained at home.

The Pharisaical Attitude

He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

1 John 2:9-11

The younger son left home out of rebellion but the older one worked hard, carried out his duties and lived, what appeared to be, a blameless life. However, inwardly he was selfish and unforgiving in nature. When his prodigal brother returned home, he did not rejoice. This was because of the bitterness that had built up in his heart, resenting his brother for squandering away their father’s wealth. He saw his brother as one who had cheated his father so he refused to come into the house when his brother returned.

The father, however, was very patient with the older son. His heart of unconditional love that caused him to run out of the home to bring the younger son back, now makes him go to plead with the elder son for reconciliation.

The Pharisaical mentality is duty bound and full of self righteousness. There was no room for love in the heart of the older son and he did not want to reconcile with the father or the brother.

In today’s context there are many of us who could be like the older brother. Are we merely duty bound when it comes to serving the Lord? May the love of Christ pour into our hearts so that we serve Him in love and thereby love our fellow brothers and our heavenly Father.

Dear Lord,
I thank You that You first loved me. You have picked me up from the miry clay and set my foot upon a rock. Help me to reciprocate the same love that You have given me to my brothers and sisters in Christ. Amen.

We do not develop habits of genuine love automatically. We learn by watching effective role models – more specifically by observing how our parents express love for each other, day in and day out. Josh McDowell

Parent Model

Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from Him.

Psalm 127:3

In the story of the prodigal son, the father loved both his children. His sons, however, did not enjoy an intimate relationship with their father so they didn’t appreciate him or love him. In spite of this, the father’s response to them did not change. He showed both his sons the same unconditional love.

Through his rebellion, the younger son left home, but when he had lost everything and after experiencing great hardship, he came to his senses. It was then that he said with great regret, “How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger.” (Luke 15:17) This hard life lesson made him understand the love of the father and the blessings that even the servants in his household enjoyed.

On the other hand, the father waited patiently for a long time, enduring in faith. He did not count his losses or hold any offense against the prodigal son who had squandered his hard earned wealth. The father was a role model of unconditional love, forgiveness and generosity.

As parents, it is important for us to practise a walk of love because our children are watching us. It is our relationship with the eternal Father which will help us be a role model and win them over in our homes.
We are not perfect as we falter and make mistakes. However, if we do not cover up our failures but are humble enough to confess them before the Lord, He will restore and change us. Our family is a precious gift from God so let us love unconditionally, pray together and stay together.

Dear Lord,
I thank You so much that You have given me children. Help me to love them as You love and care for me. There is not a moment when You have let me down. May I never let my children down. Amen.

God bless you,
Theo and Manju

“I am not moved by what I see. I am not moved by what I feel. I am moved only by what I believe.” Smith Wigglesworth

Will You Touch Him?

Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any, came from behind and touched the border of His garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped.” Luke 8:43-45

The woman in the above verse had come to the realization that none of her natural resources could find a cure for her physical needs. At this point, she would have been totally exhausted and every hope would have been drained from her.

According to the Levitical law, women who were ceremonially unclean had to be separated from the public. Having suffered for 12 years, this woman would have felt much pain and rejection in being separated from others for so many years.

However, when she heard that the Messiah was able to make the blind eyes see and the deaf ears hear, her hope rose. Even though the crowd that surrounded the Lord made it difficult for her to get near Him, and even though she knew that she was unclean and was forbidden to be in the presence of others, she was aware of who Jesus was. She understood the love and the grace of the Lord and she was willing to surpass all her cultural barriers to reach out and grasp just the edge of His garment. That was the moment that she had waited for all her life; that very moment when she felt life flow into her body and her issue of blood ceased instantaneously. At that moment, all her years of suffering ceased and became something of the past.

Some of us are in the same situation as the woman. We have been drained both physically and emotionally as we have toiled for years and seen no life. Let our faith not waver. Let us understand that He is a God of great love and measureless grace. If we come to Him with the same faith as this woman and hold on to His garment, life will flow into every impossible situation.

Dear Lord,

Help me to persist and believe that it is given to me when I ask You in prayer. Today I believe that I have already received and rejoice in You. Amen.

God bless you,
Theo and Manju

“When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives means the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender heart” – Henri Nouwen.

Binding up their wounds

But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

Luke 10:33-34

In the story of the Good Samaritan we see that he got down from the donkey, bandaged the wounded man, and took him to the inn. He also went the extra mile to pay for all the costs and said that he would reimburse on his return any additional expenses incurred.
The Priest and the Levite also had the opportunity to care for the wounded man, but they chose to walk away because they considered their work more important.

This story is related to us by Jesus, and is relevant to us today. Work schedules and our commitment to do good work, crowd in to the extent that we do not have time to care for the broken hearted and the wounded. We too pass by the wounded and do not care to stop .

The Lord is close to the broken hearted and to those who are crushed in spirit. Let us not lose the opportunity to care for and bring them to the inn. The opportunity may be at your door.

Oh Lord,

You said “come unto me all those who are burden and heavy laden”, and said You will give them rest. I pray that we too, with your strength, will be able to comfort and bind up the wounds of those who are crushed in spirit. Amen.

God Bless you,
Theo and Manju

“The family should be a closely knit group. The home should be a self contained shelter of security; a kind of school where life’s basic lessons are taught; and a kind of church where God is honoured; a place where wholesome recreation and simple pleasures are enjoyed.”

Billy Graham

Honour Your Father and Mother

“Honour your father and mother” – which is the first commandment with a promise – “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”
Ephesians 6:2-3

In the story of Joseph, we see he honoured his father and also cared for him until his death. Even though Joseph became the ruler of Egypt; a position where he had no lack and it would have been very easy for him to forget his beginnings, his heart was with his father and his family.

Exodus 20:12 says,“Honour your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you” . Though this is one of the ten commandments given by God, some people may find it hard to honour their parents due to their poor parenting and repeated failures.

Joseph forgave his brothers in order to restore the family unity and the bonds of love and we are also called to do the same. Mark 11:25 says that we need to forgive those who trespass against us, so that our Father in heaven may also forgive us our trespasses.
Unforgiveness is the root cause of disunity in many families, as the bitterness planted by the enemy will steal the joy and peace from the relationships between the parents and the children. Most importantly unforgiveness affects our relationship with God. On the other hand, it is a blessing to let go of the past and choose to forgive. The best solution is to forgive, love each other despite everything, and pray for each other. If we choose this, our homes will truly becomes the shelter of security and love.

Today God wants the hatred and bitterness to be laid down as He is the source of love who can give the strength to forgive.

Dear Lord,
I thank You for my parents. I did not choose my parents but You chose them for me. Therefore I come to You this morning and ask You to forgive me for any offences that I have had against them, and I release them to You and love them in the name of Jesus. Amen.

God Bless you,
Theo and Manju

“Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.”

Psalm 51:11-12

The Spirit of Truth

 ^“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on His own; He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come”. John 16:13

While Jesus was with His disciples whom He loved, He taught, protected and cared for them.  Prior to His crucifixion knowing that He would soon be leaving the earth, Jesus spoke these comforting and strengthening words about the Holy Spirit, to His disciples.

Jesus’ words brought the assurance that the Holy Spirit will be their guide into the fullness of truth because like the Jesus, the Holy Spirit too represents to the world the eternal truth of God and His work is to seek the glory of Him that sent Him. For this reason, the Spirit will not speak of His own but will reveal things which are yet to come and that He also will convey to us what he hears from the Father.

Jesus expressed His total submission to the Father when He said “The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. John 16:10

How amazing is that we have His Spirit to guide and lead us into God’s truth! Like David, our one prayer should be that He will never leave us.

Prayer

Dear Lord many times we have grieved Your Holy Spirit in not giving Him the rightful place in our lives. We submit to You this morning and surrender to the leading of Your Spirit of Truth.  Amen

Theo & Manju